COLLAPSE UPDATE: Two Dead, Four Critical in Flatbush Building Collapse Minutes from Boro Park; Search Expected to Last Days

By BoroPark24 Staff

Two people were killed and four others are in critical condition after a three-story residential building collapsed into a neighboring construction site's excavation at 1321 Flatbush Avenue Wednesday afternoon, minutes from Boro Park.

Mayor Mamdani came to the scene Wednesday evening and held a press conference alongside FDNY chiefs and the NYPD commissioner, providing an update on the rescue operation and the city's response.

In a written statement Wednesday night, FDNY said two people had been pronounced dead and more than 15 others injured as of 8:30 p.m. At the evening briefing, officials reported 19 patients in total: two deceased, four critical, 12 stable and one firefighter with minor injuries. Seven of the 19 patients are children, though officials did not release their ages or say whether the two people who died were adults or children.

The mayor said more than 10 people had been hospitalized, some with life-threatening injuries. Officials emphasized that the figures remain preliminary and could change as the search continues.

The call came in at approximately 4:01 p.m. Units arrived within one minute after a fire company returning from another emergency came upon the scene and immediately began rescuing trapped people. More than 250 fire and EMS personnel responded.

"Multiple people from the building and the construction site were trapped," FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. "This will be a prolonged operation. Collapse operations are extremely dangerous. Every move is choreographed and critically important to patient outcomes and member safety. Members have been working methodically and haven't stopped since they arrived this afternoon."

It remains unknown how many people were inside the building or how many may still be unaccounted for. FDNY is working with NYPD to cross-check missing-person reports as crews search voids in the wreckage, with FDNY and NYPD K9 teams checking for additional areas to search.

Those located so far had been removed, but the search was not finished. Crews will carefully remove debris down to the ground to search for additional victims. The adjoining building remains partially intact, and a secondary collapse is a major concern. Rescuers are monitoring the structure and coordinating each movement of debris to protect victims and emergency personnel.

FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said crews expect to remain for several days, until the entire site has been searched.

Construction workers were actively working when the collapse occurred. The Department of Buildings commissioner said excavation work was underway at the neighboring site, where workers were digging down. The site has approved plans for a three-story building; plans seeking a nine-story building have not been approved. DOB and law enforcement partners are investigating the cause.

The mayor described a coordinated response involving FDNY, emergency management, NYPD, DOB and HPD, with utility providers and the Red Cross also on site. A reception center for affected and displaced residents has opened at the Flatbush YMCA, at 1401 Flatbush Avenue.

NYC Emergency Management issued a UVIS activation notice, asking anyone unable to reach someone who may have been affected by the collapse near Flatbush and Bedford Avenues to call 311, or 212-639-9675 from outside New York City.

Governor Kathy Hochul also expressed condolences and said her administration had reached out and offered its full support as authorities investigate.

"I'm keeping them in my thoughts and praying for everyone affected," Hochul said.

"This was a devastating collapse," the mayor said, pledging that the city would stand alongside those affected "at every step of the way."

Flatbush Avenue is closed from Clarendon Avenue to Bedford Avenue. Officials are urging people to avoid the area so emergency crews can continue their work.